Driveway Bandits

Shining a light on Colorado's most prolific car theft and home invasion crew, while seeking the apprehension of all of the accomplices.

A group of criminals known as the "Driveway Bandits" operated along a wide swath of Colorado's front range from 2019 to 2022, according to information shared on local Denver news. These criminals were known for their criminal operations. Despite law enforcement efforts, the Driveway Bandits were able to evade capture for several years due to their effective methods.

The Driveway Bandits were known to target isolated neighborhood loops with limited entrances and exits, where they would conduct scouting passes in stolen cars. After parking nearby, the criminals would conduct a second scouting pass on foot, looking into cars and selecting a target. Once a target was chosen, the driver would pull up to the vehicle and let his partner out to break the window and gain access to the contents of the vehicle. Their method of breaking the glass was calculated to minimize noise, often using an emergency glass breaking tool.

To avoid triggering car alarms, the suspects would lean into the broken window rather than opening the car door. They would also use garage door openers found in cars outside the target area. After creating noise by smashing a window or opening a garage door, the criminals would leave the scene and return after a few minutes, ensuring that nobody was alerted. They would then search for credit cards in the vehicles parked inside, with the apparent goal of using stolen credit cards to purchase gift cards at King Soopers.

The Driveway Bandits were known to operate primarily as a team of two, sometimes with a third person serving as a getaway driver and lookout. They would spend several hours in the same location, taking their time to carefully carry out their illegal activities. Law enforcement believed that the suspects may have rotated duties among the three members, although there was more footage of suspect 1 and 2 available. Additionally, video footage revealed that the Driveway Bandits would sometimes switch cars during the same operation, using a rotating inventory of stolen cars, often with temporary or no license plates, to carry out their crimes.

The notoriety of the Driveway Bandits eventually caught the attention of the media and law enforcement, leading to enhanced efforts to capture the criminals. Ultimately, one of their leaders was arrested, putting an end to their criminal activities in the Denver metro area.

Meet the Driveway Bandits

Suspect 1 - Timothy Raider Mundell

We previously described Suspect 1 as a white male approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a distinctive slump to his right shoulder. He appears to have a minor case of spastic diplegia posture in his arms and legs, which could be indicative of a dislocated shoulder or muscle dystrophy. His gait may also be slightly impaired. He has a slender build and is known to smoke, possibly Marlboro menthol cigarettes, as a fresh cigarette butt of this type was found at the scene of one incident. Furthermore, "DC Shoe" footprints in the snow suggest that he may be a skateboarder, which is corroborated by his social media activity.

The Greenwood Village Police subsequently identified Suspect 1 as Timothy Raider Mundell and took him into custody. Mundell was apprehended in Aurora without incident on April 14, 2022, after a cooperative fugitive apprehension operation between GVPD detectives and the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force. On Friday, April 14, 2022, Timothy Mundell was denied bail in Arapahoe County as prosecutors worked to pile on additional charges resulting from his prolific criminal enterprises. Mundell was subsequently incarcerated in the Arapahoe County Detention Facility based on the Greenwood Village arrest warrant and numerous other arrest warrants for similar crimes in the metro-Denver area.

Suspect 2 - Mr. "JS" still at large

Although suspect 2 seems to be more careful obscuring his face, he appears to be a white male, about 5 foot 6 inch with a pronounced nose bridge. We believe that authorities have identified this person, but for whatever reason have not decided to bring charge. Mr. JS may also have a predilection for small farm animals.

Suspects 3, 4, and more still at large

Suspect 1 and 2 have been filmed walking around while another person drives and plays a lookout and getaway role. There is at least a third person involved, and very likely a 4th or even more. The authorities may have been close to identifying a "Mr B" or "Ms T" but seem to have put the investigations on pause after the arrest of Timothy Mundell.

Video Crime Log

Mr. JS Returns - Sunday, March 3, 2024, Case # AC24-3831 & AC24-3836

With Tim put away, it looks like Mr. JS may be starting the operation back up himself, trying doors and stealing an item out of a truck...

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/mpqxUd0Ak9s

News Reports - Thursday, April 15, 2022

On Friday, April 15, Fox31 News released some more stories following the April 14 arrest of Timothy Raider Mundell, Suspect 1, in connection to these and possibly other similar crimes...

9pm news link: https://youtu.be/4MHX8RDK8-M

10pm news link: https://youtu.be/K6eR3ZvWDh8

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 - South Helena St, unknown case number

Observations

4:22 AM - A dark blue vehicle makes a loop around the neighborhood.
4:27 AM - Two hooded suspects begin their pass around their neighborhood.
4:33 AM - Two residents are alerted by security cameras and each of them call 9-11.
4:38 AM - Arapahoe Sheriffs deputy intercepts within minutes.

After the video ends, we learned that the suspects fled and the police were not willing to endanger the public by making chase.

Fox31 News did another story following this incident...

Security footage...

Tuesday, March 22, 2022, Greenwood Village, Case # GV 22002135

See the news report with video:

https://kdvr.com/news/problem-solvers/tesla-cameras-capture-thieves-in-garage-break-in-spree/

Monday, March 14th, 2022, Brighton Case # 22-1396

The bright hoodie featured in the Fox 31 story.

https://youtu.be/PKUgVbLTyKA

Tuesday, December 28, 2021, South Helena St, Case # AC21-23441

Neighbors band together to form a network of cameras

https://youtu.be/64hfUm1tSfI

Observations

1:49AM - A Honda Civic 10th generation (2003 - 2009) enters Cherrybrook subdivision and circles the neighborhood
1:54AM - The two familiar suspects circle the neighborhood on foot, looking into vehicles
2:10AM - The men drive the Honda Accord to a residence that they take particular interest in
2:16AM - One of the residents of the home returns, and parks in the garage
3:29AM - two vehicles are parked on the south side of the neighborhood (front of house). The Civic and a blue Subaru Ascent (2020-2022).
3:30AM to 3:48AM - Blue Subaru Ascent circle the neighborhood multiple occasions with the owner of the Gold Honda Accord in the passenger seat.
3:30AM to 3:34AM - two suspects sit inside Blue Ascent in front of a nearby home to stake out their garget
3:35AM - One suspect gets out of passenger side and walks up to silver 4 Runner and walks up to investigate the White Toyota Sequoia parked at the same residence.
3:36AM - Suspects get back into Subaru ascent and Subaru makes another drive around the neighborhood.
3:45AM - Driver of Blue Subaru uses the garage door opener from the Silver 4 Runner that he broke into to open the victim's garage, then circles the block to make sure the coast is clear
3:48AM - Pulls up again in front of the home close to the target residence
3:49AM - Both perpetrators get out of subaru and walks to the residence, this time walking up to the White Sequoia and then trespassing into the garage
3:52AM - 3:53AM - Owner of gold Honda Accord gets out of Subaru and gets into the Honda Accord, and both leave the neighborhood.
The driveway bandits used a stolen credit card to buy gift cards from a King Soopers to the North.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021, Copperleaf Subdivision, unknown case number

The same Chrysler Town & Country gen 4 (2001-2007) can be seen driving around at 3am right near a string of vehicle break ins in the Copperleaf subdivision. The crew hit at least 10 cars, broke a few windows. The Driveway Bandits opened a garage with an opener from a car that they broke into, and the homeowner chased them down the street.

YouTube

Monday, September 27, 2021, East Centennial, Case # unknown

The familiar suspects, this time in a Chrysler Town & Country gen 4 (2001-2007), enter and search an unlocked vehicle and peek into other cars in the neighborhood.

YouTube

Friday, August 6, 2021, 5982 S Helena St, Case # AC21-0014057

Suspects broke into another car, this time on Helena Ct., and bought gift cards at King Soopers with a stolen credit card. Neighbors who had cameras were unaware that this had occurred, so no footage was saved.

Friday, December 18, 2020, S. Laredo Way, Case # AS20-0020101

Suspect 2 breaks this window. He appears to be the shorter of the two, a few inches shorter than the metallic Jeep Grand Cherokee, which puts him at around 5ft 6in.

YouTube

Shots fired

Wednesday, December 16, 2020, Case # AC20-19963

A resident in Piney Creek subdivision discovers men looking into cars at 2:30 Am. The resident chases them in his own car. The resident only sees one man in the metallic colored Jeep Grand Cherokee who was wearing yellow night glasses. The suspect in the Jeep Grand Cherokee shoots at the resident chasing him on East Orchard Road, East of South Buckley Road. The resident believes that the license plate started with the letter "B".

In April, 2022, the resident who was shot at on Orchard Rd. stated that the 2022 mugshot photo of Timothy Raider Mundell looks like the man who shot at him in December, 2020.

Saturday, December 12, 2020, S. Helena St., Case # AC20-19747

Timeline of events

5:08 AM - suspect's metallic Jeep Grand Cherokee drives by crime scene
5:17 AM - 2 suspects walk by crime scene and look into a car
5:29 AM - suspect's car drives by crime scene
5:39 AM - suspect looks into a car
5:42 AM - suspect breaks into car and grabs items out
6:00 AM - suspect returns to crime scene and grabs more items out

Observations

Vehicle was a silver or light gray Jeep Grand Cherokee with the badging on the driver side door removed
Vehicle was likely Laredo or Overland trim which had wheel style 33 as an option in 2017 and 2018
Suspect that broke in to the car is about 5ft 9in, just a touch taller than the height of a Jeep Grand Cherokee
Car has snow on it that has not melted, so they likely live close to the crime scene and park outside
Suspect wears a DC skateboarding shoe, and we have lots of detailed photos of the footprints

YouTube

Camera Advice

The market for home security cameras is quite large and rapidly evolving. Recommendations depend on your specific application, budget, preferences, and evolving technology. However, we do have some advice to consider...

continuous recording vs. motion activated - in our experience, motion activated cameras such as Ring are not helpful because the driveway bandits often do not cause enough motion to activate a recording event
light sensitivity - The driveway bandits operate at night, and low light sensitivity is critical.
person detection - Many companies offer artificial intelligence recognition of a person detected, which when properly applied can be helpful for alerting you from your slumber.
ease of video extraction - Some systems do not make it easy to download video clips for sharing and archiving. For example, Arlo hosts clips on the web, but they are not downloadable and expire. Some of the cheaper multi-camera DVRs have a difficult process to locate and remove video.

If you are looking to start out dabbling with your first security camera, we recommend trying a "Wyze Cam v3" with a high speed "SanDisk 32 GB Micro SDHC" memory chip. These cost about $45. The camera is easy to set up and can be mounted outdoors, or stuck to a window inside with double-stick foam tape. This camera has excellent low light sensitivity, AI person detection, and records video continuously to the chip for easy video extraction. There are ways to set your phone up to loudly alert you between specified hours if a person is detected within a defined zone in the image. You can also access video history remotely.

Commentary on the current state of car thefts in Colorado

The rising car thefts in Colorado have reached alarming levels, leaving citizens and law enforcement alike deeply concerned. At the center of this crime spree in the early 2020s was Timothy Mundell, a notorious car thief who managed to steal or attempt to steal numerous cars in just a few years. His brazen activities have left a trail of victims and a sense of insecurity among the community.

Many attribute the rise in car thefts to permissive state laws that have been passed by the Colorado General Assembly. These laws have lowered penalties for crimes and sometimes even portrayed criminals as victims, creating an environment where car thieves like Mundell feel emboldened to continue their illegal activities. As a result, law-abiding citizens are left feeling vulnerable and helpless in the face of rampant car thefts.

However, some argue that addressing the root causes of crime, such as drug addiction, mental illness, and homelessness, would be a more effective use of taxpayer dollars. The state of Colorado has seen a surge in drug-related issues, with law enforcement seizing more fentanyl in the first five months of 2022 than in all of 2021, enough to potentially kill 93 million people. This likely played a role in the activities of car theft crews like the Driveway Bandit crew. Lax drug laws and inadequate social services have exacerbated the problem, leading to an increase in crime.

Another contributing factor to Colorado's escalating crime is the state of law enforcement staffing. Colorado is currently facing a historic crisis in recruiting, retention, and morale among law enforcement officers, particularly in the 5-to-15 year range of experience. This shortage of experienced officers has resulted in stretched resources, decreased response times, and reduced ability to combat car thefts and other crimes effectively.

The sad state of rising car thefts in Colorado is a multifaceted issue that requires comprehensive solutions. It involves addressing permissive state laws, tackling the root causes of crime such as drug addiction and mental illness, providing adequate social services, and addressing the staffing crisis in law enforcement. Without a concerted effort to address these issues, the alarming levels of car thefts and other crimes in Colorado are likely to continue, leaving citizens and law enforcement struggling to combat this troubling trend. It is crucial for the community, law enforcement, and policymakers to work together to find effective solutions and restore safety and security to Colorado's neighborhoods.

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